May 2025 eBirding Challenge

A Golden-headed Cisticola perched on a thin, bare twig against a soft green background, with its beak open mid-call.

May brings vibrant changes to India’s avian landscape as summer settles in! With the breeding season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to develop a deeper connection with your local birds. The rhythms of arrivals and departures tell compelling stories about your neighborhood’s biodiversity. This month, we invite you to become a specialist in your own backyard or favorite birding spot.

This month’s challenge invites you to become intimately familiar with the birds at a single location of your choice. To participate, simply upload at least 20 or more eligible* checklists from the same location during May.

BONUS: Lists uploaded on 10 May will also be part of the Endemic Bird Day/ Himalayan Bird Count/ Global Big Day! Your observations will contribute twice – to both regional and worldwide citizen science initiatives.

* Eligible checklists are those that report ALL species seen/heard (and are therefore marked ‘complete’), includes counts for all species numbers (no ‘X’ entries) and are of at least 15 minutes or longer in duration.

Tips:

Choose a location that’s easily accessible to you, like your backyard, a local park, or a nearby lake
Visit at different times of day to observe different bird behaviors and species
Keep detailed notes on recurring individuals, behaviors, and interactions
Look for nesting activities and breeding behaviors that may be easier to spot with repeated visits

Important:

Maintain a respectful distance from nesting birds to avoid disturbing them during this sensitive breeding period.
Whenever you see birds showing any signs of breeding, choose the breeding behaviour codes. To do this in the eBird App, tap the species name, tap on ‘Add breeding code‘, and select the appropriate purple circle that is closest to your observation. (Please note again, F and H are not breeding codes).

Screenshot of how a breeding code looks like in eBird App

Please upload all your lists by 10 June 2025 so that we can announce the results soon after that.

Here are the general rules of our monthly challenges. And check out the yearlong challenges for 2025 as well! You can keep track of fresh lists coming in from India on this page.

Header Image: Golden-headed Cisticola (Bright-headed Cisticola) Cisticola exilis © Sathyan Meppayur / Macaulay Library

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